Supposedly Mapleflavored Lip Balm
by OwlinAMinor
Summary: Matt, for the first time in his life, is getting a Christmas present. From Gil. Of supposedly maple-flavored lip balm.  PruCan one-shot.


**SUPPOSEDLY MAPLE-FLAVORED LIP BALM**

**RATING: T**

**PAIRING: PruCan**

**GENRE: Humor & Romance**

**DESCRIPTION: Matt, for the first time in his life, is getting a Christmas present. From Gil. Of supposedly maple-flavored lip balm.**

**LENGTH: One-shot.**

**POV: Canada**

**Hetalia characters, please consider yourselves disclaimed. (Like a boss.)**

**This story was a Christmas present for Katherine, whose FFnet username I'm not actually sure of ... um ... ^^;**

* * *

><p>Nobody noticed me.<p>

But, well, nobody _ever_ noticed me.

I'd gotten used to it after years of always being invisible and ignored, always the ghost in the corner that was never paid attention to or spoken to or asked for an opinion.

Today, though, it was particularly painful to have my presence passed over. Today was the day of my brother's Christmas party.

I sat on a couch in the back of Al's immense living room, a mug of hot chocolate that I wasn't drinking in my hands, wondering why the hell I was even there. Well, I knew _why_ I was there - Al had pleaded with me to go and I hadn't been able to resist, pushover that I was - but what was I _doing_ there, really?

Not having fun, that was for sure.

Everyone else was having fun, though; I could see that much. Some of them were dancing - Al and Arthur (who hadn't collapsed from drunkedness yet, surprisingly enough), Ludwig and Feliciano, Antonio and Lovino - a few were drinking - Ivan, Tino, and Feliks in particular were having a vodka-drinking contest - some were simply talking - though, with Elizaveta and Kiku, one couldn't be sure that talking was all they were doing - and a few - namely, Gilbert and Francis - were attempting to sabotage the dancers (much to the annoyance of Arthur and Lovino.) All of them were the people I considered my friends, though I wasn't exactly sure people who hadn't remembered my name in years counted as friends.

Well, they were the best I had.

Suddenly, my attention was torn away from the others when a behind plopped down on the couch beside me and a voice said, "Mattie! The awesome me has been looking _everywhere_ for you!"

I turned to find Gil, his silvery hair hidden by a Santa hat almost as bright a red as his eyes, beaming at me - a little high off the alcohol and the joy that seemed to hit everyone but me around Christmas time. My heartbeat began to accelerate, and I wondered if he could hear it – I knew he had superhuman hearing, since he was the only person who ever heard me.

Gil was my best friend, a sad thing to say, really, since he didn't consider _me_ his best friend; he had Francis and Antonio and their Bad Touch Trio. But, well, he was the best friend I had, since he remembered my name.

Remembered _me_.

Besides that, he was so confident, so sure that he was awesome and nothing could change that, I couldn't help admiring him. _I_ wanted to be awesome, just like Gil.

I must have been looking at him strangely, because he asked, "Mattie, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I muttered, looking down at my lap. Baggy jeans and a huge red sweatshirt. Ugh. Why had I chosen to wear _that_ today of all days?

"Seriously, though, where were you, Matt?" Gil continued, eyeing me with concern. "I got kinda worried when I couldn't find you. And the awesome me does not like being worried. Not awesome, dude."

_You were worried? About me?_ I wondered.

Out loud, I said, "But I've been here this whole time …"

"Huh, that's weird," he mused. "But no matter! The awesome me has more awesome things to ponder with his awesome mental powers. Like, for example, this."

Gil took some sort of small tube, wrapped in bright red paper with a ribbon tied around it, out of his pocket.

"Um … what is it?" I asked.

"Your Christmas present, duh. What did you think it was, a tube of fake magic-sparkle-unicorn-potion as a trick for Artie or something?"

"No, it's just that … well … nobody besides my family has ever given me a Christmas present before," I admitted, a blush spreading across my face.

"That's really un-awesome," Gil exclaimed. "I should punish everyone for not ever giving you Christmas presents. You deserve them – you're awesome, almost as awesome as I am."

_Almost as awesome as you are?_ I was amazed by his compliment. A peek at him to see if he really meant it found him staring at his shoes as though they were the most interesting things in the world, his face significantly less pale than usual.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he said suddenly to break the slightly awkward silence that had ensued, lightly tossing me the present. (_My_ present. From _him_. Such a … a … an _awesome_ thought.) "Open it!"

I did as I was told, slowly, carefully, methodically opening the paper so that I could preserve it forever, to find …

"Gil, does this say 'maple lip balm?'"

"It sure does, as surely as I'm awesome," he replied, grinning – had his grins always had the power to cause me to temporarily lose the ability to breathe – at my bemused expression. "I know lip gloss is usually a girly thing, but I thought that since it was maple-flavored, you might want it," he explained. "I know it's not much, and I know it's weird, but it's awesome, right?"

"Really awesome, almost as awesome as you are," I assured him. I turned it over and over in my hands, marveling at the fact that it was an actual gift actually given to me by an actual person of his own accord.

And an awesome gift, to boot.

Strange, but awesome.

Like Gil himself.

"So, are you going to try it, or what?" he asked.

"O-oh, yeah, of course, I stammered, removing the cap from the small tube with a soft _pop_. With a hand shaking for some odd reason, I put on the lip balm, accidentally getting a bit on my teeth. I wondered what it looked like; it certainly felt weird – like there was oil all over my mouth.

"What does it taste like?" Gil asked.

"I don't really know," I replied. "It's on my _lips_, not my tongue."

"Hmm …" He thought for a moment, then his face lit up with an idea. "Lick your lips! Then, you'll know what it tastes like. Awesome idea, right?"

I smiled. "Oh, yeah, that'll work."

Feeling a bit like a snake, I licked my lips, trying to taste the maple flavor. In actuality, though, it didn't taste much like maple at all, but I didn't get a chance to tell Gil that, because, well …

Um …

After gazing at me as though he was a beggar and I was a million dollars, he, uh …

…

Kissed me.

…

The word "kiss" doesn't even cover it …

He sort-of … _attacked_ me …

…

Not that I'm complaining.

The feeling of Gil's lips on mine, moving with mine, _tasting_ mine …

It was the most _awesome_ thing I had ever experienced.

When, what may have been several sunlit days later, we broke apart, I simply stared at him, the what-the-hell-was-that finally kicking in. He blushed and looked away – _cute_.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to … I couldn't help it … I'm sorry if you didn't like it ..."

I had been marginally enjoying the fact that he was the awkward one for once, but after he even suggested that I might not have enjoyed it, I had to cut in.

"Gil," I told him sternly, instinctually grabbing his face and forcing him to look at me, "I don't _care_ that you didn't mean to. You did. And, well, it was awesome beyond words. I _never_ would've been brave enough to do that, but you did, and you're awesome, more than anyone else in the world, and I don't think I've ever said this much in one go before, and –"

"Matt," he interrupted me, "I get it. I'm awesome. You're awesome. We're awesome."

I grinned, all of that _awesome_ coming over me in a rush of joy. "Glad that we settled that. Now, kiss me again."

He obliged, and it was even better than the first time.

"You know, it doesn't taste at all like maple," he murmured, eyes closed, against my lips.

"I know," I answered. "But it's the thought that counts." I nuzzled his neck.

He shivered in pleasure, then put his arms around my waist – _so soft so warm so at home here._

For a couple minutes, it was simply the dance of our discovering each other, and then, as we broke apart to catch our breaths, I wondered aloud, "Gil, are we best friends?"

"_Nein_," he replied.

I figured that, but for some reason, my heart fell, but –

"We're _better_."

_Oh_.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"No, thank _you_."

"_AW~!_" came a chorus from behind us.

"You guys finally got together, that's so _cute_~"

"I'm so proud of you, _mon ami_!"

"Wow, that looks even better than Lovi's and my first kiss – _OW_ – okay, almost as good as, sorry, _querido_."

"I'm so glad I brought my camera with me~!"

…

The barrage of couch cushions, plastic cups, shoes, a Santa hat, and one tube of supposedly maple-flavored lip balm was more than enough to drive away our unwelcome observers.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't worry, Hungary still managed to take pictures. xD<strong>

**Reviews are loved. :)**


End file.
